CU track & field: Buffs' Brittany Lewis hopes to surprise at Pac-12s

Sophomore has yet to make mark in heptathlon this season

Going into the Pac-12 Championships, Brittany Lewis is nowhere near the list of favorites for the heptathlon title.

The Colorado sophomore is more concerned with where she ranks at the end of the competition, however.

"I feel like I'm capable of breaking out an amazing heptathlon score," she said.

On Saturday and Sunday, Lewis and her teammates will compete at the Pac-12 multi-event championships at Mooberry Track and Field Complex in Pullman, Wash.

UCLA's Alexis Walker, Oregon's Daphne Chambers and CU's Abrianna Torres are among the favorites in the heptathlon. Lewis, meanwhile, is flying under the radar.

As a freshman, an academic exam prevented Lewis from being able to compete at the Pac-12 championships and last year, she redshirted.

This year, Lewis has yet to record a heptathlon score. She competed at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., last month, but an injury prevented her from finishing the competition.

So, she goes to Pullman without anybody in the Pac-12 really knowing what she can do, except for those who see her everyday.

"She should be primed and ready to go," said CU assistant coach Lindsey Malone, who coaches the multi-event athletes. "This will be maybe a surprise to some people when we get out there."

During her three years at CU, Lewis has progressed as a heptathlete. Although she has yet to put all seven events — 100-meter dash, high jump, shot put, 200-meter dash, long jump, javelin and 800-meter rush — together in the same meet this spring, Lewis has excelled in each discipline.

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"Every day in practice I'm learning new things," said Lewis, a George Washington High School graduate who began competing in the heptathlon after her sophomore year. "I'm recognizing things I'm weak at and things I'm strong at. I know that once I put it all together it's going to put up a great score.

"The way I've been competing and the things I've done all lead up to something great. Now is the time for me to show what I've been working toward."

Malone believes Torres and Lewis are both among the top contenders for the title this weekend.

"They should be in the top four, but I think there are four girls that are vying for first place," Malone said. "If everything goes well, I think AB (Torres) and Brittany will also have a shot at getting to go to the NCAA Championships."

Success this weekend and a trip to the NCAA Championships would add to what has already been a great year for Lewis.

She is improving academically, she said, and last summer, she had an opportunity to serve on the search committee that hired CU athletic director Rick George.

"That was an amazing experience," she said. "I was able to meet many great people that are connected to CU. Building those connections and getting to know the people that were a part of the search committee, it kind of opened my eyes to a different venture outside of track."

At the end of the process, Lewis actually had a CU administrator tell her she would one day be one of the first African-American athletic directors at CU.

"After college, I definitely want to be connected with athletics," she said. "It definitely opened my eyes that there's a possibility I could be an athletic director, or stay connected to college athletics."

For now, however, Lewis is focused on putting together an eye-opening performance in Pullman.

"My training has definitely prepared me for this moment," she said.

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In addition to Torres and Lewis, CU will send freshmen Ewelina Pena and Mariah Slack to Pullman. Malone believes all four Buffs have a chance at the top eight. "I see what they're capable of, and the magic of the (multi-events) is just being able to put it together on those two days to get it done," she said. ... Seniors Jason DeWitt and Brock Emory will compete in the decathlon this weekend for the Buffs. They both come in ranked among the top 10. "This is their time to shine," Malone said. ... The remainder of the Pac-12 championships will be held in Pullman on May 17-18.

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